Claire spent the next few days in a haze. She had to pretend everything was normal, had to put on the usual mask for her classes, for the people who didn’t know the first thing about what she was dealing with. But it was hard. Every time she walked down the street, she half-expected to see the figure standing in a doorway, its dark, empty eyes on her.
David had gone quiet, too. He wasn’t answering her calls, and he wasn’t coming to the diner anymore. She had a sinking feeling that he was scared. But he wouldn’t admit it, not to her.
Something had changed in the air around them.
And then, one evening, she got the message.
It was a single text from David.
David: “I found it. I think I found out what it is.”
She didn’t wait for another second.
Claire drove to David’s apartment. She didn’t even knock—just opened the door. The apartment was dark, only the glow of the computer screen lighting up David’s face. He looked worn out, his eyes red, his hair messy.
“David?” she asked, stepping inside.
He didn’t look up, just tapped the keyboard a few times. Then he turned the screen toward her.
The first thing Claire saw was a picture of the figure. It was grainy, blurry, but there it was. A figure standing in the shadows.
“I found this,” David said quietly. “It’s a ritual. Something old. Something... wrong. And I think we’re part of it now.”
Claire’s heart skipped. “What do you mean? A ritual? What the hell is going on, David?”
David leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. But I think it’s hunting us. It’s not just following us—it’s—choosing us.”
Claire’s mind raced. “Choosing us for what?”
“I don’t know,” he said, voice tight. “But it’s not done yet. It’s... it’s not letting us go until we understand it. And if we don’t—” He paused, swallowing hard. “If we don’t, I think we’ll be part of it. Forever.”
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Claire felt the room spin. She tried to breathe, but the air felt too thick.
“We have to stop it,” she said, voice trembling.
David nodded, but there was no confidence in his expression. “Yeah. But how? How do you stop something that’s been around for centuries? Something that knows more than we could ever understand?”
Claire didn’t have an answer.
She could feel the figure drawing closer. And this time—she was scared she wouldn’t escape.
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